I Need You
by xotakux2002x
Summary: this is the story of how kisame and itachi's partnership evolved from loathing to loving each other. kisaita fluff and yaoi
1. prologue

Rain poured down from the sky, the sound of it breaking the silence of the empty countryside. Two figures were walking along a dirt road, undisturbed due to the weather. One was a tall, imposing figure with a large sword; the other was a small person who didn't appear the least bit threatening.

Kisame shot a glance at his partner every now and then, waiting for a certain question to be asked. His partner couldn't hold up very long in bad weather like this, and they both knew it. Itachi, however, remained silent, and after half an hour of watching his partner shiver Kisame gave up on hearing the request, stopping for a moment to remove his cloak. "You know, it wouldn't kill you to just ask for it," he stated, wrapping the warm clothing around his partner. Itachi mumbled a nearly inaudible thank you and continued on in silence, pulling the cloak closer around him.

As they went along, Itachi began to fall behind, and Kisame mentally rolled his eyes. "If you were tired, why didn't you say something earlier?" his only answer was a shrug, and then the Uchiha picked up the pace. Kisame couldn't believe how stubborn Itachi could be; actually he could, and that was probably the tragedy of this whole thing.

The two were in the way back from a mission that had been finished up early, courtesy of a little arson, and had been walking for almost two full days. Kisame was hoping that they could stop in a village soon and rest. Sure enough, the next town they entered Itachi turned into a nearby inn, intent on getting a room. Kisame waited on the other side of the lobby while the Uchiha paid for their stay, before following the weasel down the hall to their room.

When they arrived, the first thing Kisame noticed was that the room only had one bed. He turned to his partner, prepared to see the weasel go back down to the lobby and torture the poor gender-blind clerk to death….but no, it appeared that for once, Itachi wasn't going to flip out. "They only had singles left," he explained quietly. Ahh, that was it.

"You're taking this rather well," Kisame remarked as he pulled off his wet shirt and threw it across the room.

Itachi frowned at his partner. "There was nothing I could do. Now pick that up before it gets moldy."

"Yes, mom." The weasel sent him a glare before disappearing into the bathroom. A moment later Kisame heard the water turn on and sighed to himself. There had been a time when a comment like that would no doubt have gotten him killed.

Then again, there had also been a time when Itachi ordering the shark around might have resulted in the weasel's death. It really hadn't been all that long ago when the two of them were fully prepared to kill each other.


	2. part 1

"Kisame, this is your new partner."

The shark looked disdainfully at the small raven-haired ninja who would now serve as his partner. "You're kidding, right?" The kid couldn't have been over 15, and looked like he'd spent more time in the bathroom fixing his hair than training in the field.

"No, and don't be so rude. I think you'll find this one doesn't take disrespect well," Pein added, almost knowingly. "Itachi Uchiha, meet Kisame Hoshigaki."

"Hello fish." Kisame shot the man a flat look. Well this partnership was off to a great start. He'd probably get rid of this one a lot faster than the others he'd been stuck with. Not that he'd actually killed them outright or anything like Kakuzu would, oh no. That would probably end with him being stuck with an immortal partner, and the last thing they needed around here was someone else that would keeping mouthing off when their head was removed from their body. No, he was in favor of more subtle tactics; like abandoning them on the battlefield, or breaking their legs and leaving them to be captured by the enemy, or like the last one, who "accidentally" bled to death before the shark could aid him.

Kisame looked his new partner up and down, sizing him up. The Akatsuki was only for the strongest of ninja with unbelievable endurance and willpower. This one wouldn't last very long.

Turning, he motioned for Itachi to follow him down the hall and to their room. As soon as they got inside, the weasel's eyes traveled to the single bed in the room. "Our banker's cheap as hell, so we only get one bed. I sleep on the left; if that's a problem, go sleep on the couch downstairs. " Itachi dropped his bag on the floor, more than likely indicating he had no problem sharing a bed. "And one more thing, Itachi." The Uchiha turned his attention to the shark. "Don't bug me too much, or you'll probably end up dead."

The weasel's expression didn't change at all. "The feeling is mutual." He turned around and began walking to the door. "I'm going out." As he was leaving, Kisame was tempted to warn him about the food in the kitchen and Zetsu's leftovers in the fridge, but decided against it. The weasel could figure it out on his own.

Their first mission was assigned only days later. Kisame had no clue what to expect from his partner; this one carried no weapons other then the knives that all shinobi had on hand. It made him feel slightly uncomfortable, in all honesty. His Samehada was in plain view, so if the weasel didn't already know about him through his reputation, he'd know now that the shark was a swordsman. But he couldn't remember hearing anything about Itachi from anyone or anywhere, so he had absolutely no idea what he could expect from his partner a fight. The sharkmay as well figure those details out now. "You long range or short range?"

"Whatever's called for." Kisame resisted the urge to swing his fist at his partner; this kid was annoying, the way he was almost always silent, and never gave a straight answer when he bothered to speak. However, the shark noticed the fortress they were to attack looming ahead of them, and his thoughts quickly shifted to the upcoming battle. _"I'll find out what you can do soon enough."_

Kisame ripped yet another ninja in half, blood splattering across his cloak. He watched his partner out of the corner of his eye, curious to see how the newbie was doing. To his surprise, the Uchiha was holding up rather well. Clearly these guards weren't used to dealing with someone that specialized in fire jutsu, let alone someone as fast as Itachi. A blur of movement caught his attention, and he quickly turned back to the battle, tearing through yet another weakling.

A sudden blood-chilling scream made him turn around. A man was on his knees in front of Itachi, screaming for no apparent reason. Wait a minute…..Kisame looked closer and realized that Itachi's eyes had changed to red. He was fairly certain that they were normally black or brown, so this struck him as odd. The man screamed once more, before collapsing limply onto the ground. Itachi's eyes reverted back to their normal color as he stared at his latest victim; Kisame had been right, they were definitely onyx.

The weasel felt a pair of eyes on him and snapped his head up to look at his partner. "I think we got them all," Kisame called out, returning Samehada to its normal position on his back.

"Hn," Itachi muttered, turning to leave the same way they'd come in. As Kisame followed the weasel, he debated on how to ask about the strange technique he'd just witnessed. On one hand, he was dying to find out what it was. On the other hand, he wasn't sure he could trust the weasel not to demonstrate the strange jutsu on him. "It appears you really are good at long and short range attacks," he began as they hurried down the dirt path, intent on leaving before aid could reach the area they had just left.

"Hn," Itachi replied.

"Your fire jutsu's pretty handy, and when they get too close, I guess you just switch to that eye move."

"You're referring to my Sharingan?" The shark inwardly grinned; he'd gotten the technique's name. "If that's what it's called. It's gen jutsu, right?"

"Yes," Itachi answered, attention still on the road. "And if you keep asking annoying questions, I'll be happy to use it on you." Kisame silenced himself, remembering what the other man had gone through at the mercy of Itachi. Or lack thereof.

As they walked along in silence, the gears began turning in Kisame's head. Pein had given him this partner for a reason; while it was true that Kisame's water jutsu were clear superior to any of Itachi's fire jutsus, the Uchiha could no doubt whip out those eye a lot faster than Kisame could grab hold of his sword.

He had to give leader credit for this. He'd been assigned a partner that apparently had the ability to beat him in a fight at any time. The shark frowned. Getting rid of this punk was going to be a lot harder than he had originally thought.


	3. part 2

Operation Kill the Annoying Weasel (or KAW, if you prefer acronyms) was not going well.

Kisame had studied his partner for weeks, in every setting and battle they had ever been in. The only thing close to a weakness he'd found was the Uchiha's obsession with dango. Speaking of which….

The two of them were currently sitting in a restaurant, and Itachi was finishing up his dango stick. "One more order," he said to Kisame, indicating that the shark had to get another order for him.

"That's the fourteenth, 'one more order' he's had," Kisame thought as he motioned for the waiter to bring them another dango order. The waitress walked over with the food, a smile plastered on her face. "You certainly have a sweet tooth, honey," she said happily, setting down the food before walking away. Kisame's hand automatically shot out to prevent the Uchiha from throwing a shuriken knife at the woman's back. "She's just stating the obvious, Itachi," he said carefully, not wanting to have the weasel's anger turn to him. Itachi merely dropped the knife and picked up his dango, munching on it thoughtfully. Kisame breathed a small sigh of relief. Crisis averted.

As they left the restaurant, Kisame noticed Itachi didn't take the lead as he usually did. Instead, he began walking behind Kisame. "Itachi?"

"Hn?"

"Weren't you going to take the lead?" A small smile crossed the weasel's face, but only for a moment.  
"What, you're incapable of leading us for a while, Kisame?"

"No, I just…never mind." The shark turned back around to take the lead, Itachi following closely behind him. The weasel remained silent as they walked along, occasionally looking to the side. The shark noticed this and mentally raised a brow. It was like Itachi was scared that they were going to get jumped or something.

And as fate would have it, about a mile down the road they did.

Kisame should have known something was wrong when it was he, and not Itachi, that noticed the ninja first. And it really should have tipped him off when the Uchiha moved closer to the shark, instead of trying to draw half the men away. But Kisame was too busy taking out the half dozen men that closed in on him to notice what was happening to his partner. It wasn't until he heard the distinct sound of metal on metal that he realized something was wrong.

Kisame shot a glance to his partner, eyes widening as he saw Itachi fighting with a knife. Never, in the entire course of their partnership, had he seen the Uchiha fight with a weapon. The only thing the weasel ever needed to fight with was his gen jutsu, or eyes. Resorting to hand to hand combat did not fit Itachi's style at all. He quickly finished off the lat of his opponents before going over to help the Uchiha. Once all the men were taken care of, Kisame turned his attention to his partner. "Want to explain what just happened?"

"We were attacked, we fought, we won." Itachi began to walk away, only to have the shark step in front of him. "Smartass answers like that won't get you anywhere today, Itachi. Now explain why you not only let me take the lead, but failed to notice our pursuers until I did, and then fought hand to hand. I know those eyes of yours could have taken them out in half the time……." Something clicked in the shark's mind, and he bent down to gaze into the onyx eyes of the Uchiha. "Is something wrong with your Sharingan?"

"No. Are you done with this little inquisition session?" The shark waited a few moments before nodding, allowing the Uchiha to take the lead. _"Yeah, nothing's wrong with him. And I'm a dolphin."_

Days passed, and the duo quickly completed their mission. Kisame felt a bit insulted that Pein had sent them on a mere retrieval mission, but then again someone had to do it. It had been easy enough to bypass the security; they just had Itachi use his Sharingan to dispose of the guards. Unfortunately, the shift change for the guards had occurred only moments after the Akatsuki had left, so now they were being pursued by at least twenty men. Why did these things always happen to them?

"AAAAAAAAH!!" Kisame grinned as his most recent victim collapsed to the ground, bleeding out. He spun around and caught another one's shoulder, ripping out a large chuck of flesh. His ears perked up as he heard metal on metal once again. Turning, he saw Itachi fighting hand to hand again. Ok, something was definitely wrong with his partner. Spinning to swipe at another man's leg, he vowed to figure out exactly what was wrong with the weasel when all of this was over and done with.

The shark and weasel stopped in a cave up the road, in order to rest and tend to the few wounds they had.

Kisame wrapped gauze around a cut on his leg, expecting Itachi to keep watch while he treated his injuries. To his shock, the Uchiha began doctoring a cut on his upper arm. It was only a scratch, but since when did the weasel _ever_ get hurt?

"Care to explain how you got that cut, Itachi?" The Uchiha finished cleaning the cut and turned to his partner. "I was injured in battle."

"Since when does that happen?"

"I'm not invincible. It was bound to happen soon or later." Kisame frowned. "Itachi, those punks wouldn't have been able to injure the most half-witted jounin. They should have been able to even get close enough to hurt you, yet you have a cut on your arm. Fess up; what's going on?" The Uchiha looked away, obviously not wanting to answer the question. Kisame felt his anger rising; damn the Uchiha, he really just wanted to-

An idea occurred to him. If his assumption was wrong, he'd probably end up dead. Still, he had to try.

His arm shot out, grabbing the Uchiha by the throat and pinning him to the wall. Itachi's hands immediately reached up to Kisame's hand, trying to pry the fingers loose. It was useless; the shark had n iron grip on him.

"If nothing's wrong, Itachi, why don't you just use your Sharingan?" Kisame moved closer to lock eyes with the weasel, grip tightening s he did so. "Well?"

Itachi was struggling less and less now. The strength was leaving his body, and the world was going dark. With his last ounce of energy, he managed to mouth two words. "I can't."

Instantly the shark released his partner, who quickly began massaging his throat, taking in deep gulps of air. "Care to elaborate?" the shark asked in an almost mocking tone.

The Uchiha glared at his partner, malice in his eyes. "I can only use my eyes for so long. If I overuse them, I have to resort to weaponry, like SOME people." Kisame raised a brow. "That all?"

"Yes. I'm going to sleep," Itachi said, walking to the other side of the cave and lying down with his back to the shark. Kisame grinned to himself. So that was it.

He'd finally found Itachi's weakness. Now he just had to figure out how to use it to his advantage.


	4. part 3

Itachi had been very careful about using his eyes ever since he was nearly strangled. He needed to make sure that he always had them ready to use, even if it meant using his Sharingan in battle less and less. It wasn't because he hated his partner, or he wanted to kill the shark (although he did). His reasoning was much more shocking. When Kisame had grabbed him, choking the weasel, making Itachi struggle in his grasp….

For the first time in his life, Itachi had felt threatened.

Not when he became a ninja, not when he went on ANBU missions, not when killed his clan, had the weasel ever felt like his life was in danger. Yet the shark had managed to get close enough to harm him, and had nearly strangled him. He'd nearly suffered death by fish. Oh the humiliation.

He decided the easiest way to handle the problem was to request solo assignments, until he could figure out an effective way to kill the shark. Yes, kill him. That fish deserved an extremely painful death, but getting close enough to actually dispose of his partner would prove to be a problem, now that Kisame knew his weakness. Still, it was only a matter of time, and waiting for the right moment.

"Are you listening to me?" The Uchiha turned to face Pein. He'd been staring out the window for a few minutes now, and had no clue what his boss had been saying. "Sorry, Sir Leader."

"I'm not repeating myself. Here are the specifics for this job." Pein proceeded to hand a scroll to the Uchiha, who tucked it into his cloak to read later. "And Itachi?"

"Hn?"

"It's important that this man dies. In short, don't come back until he's good and dead." The Uchiha rose and exited the room. As he was walking down the hall, he brushed past Kisame. "Where are you going?" the shark asked.

"Solo mission."

"You gonna be gone for more than a week?"

"Hn." Kisame took that as a no and walked down the hall to the room he shared with Itachi. A few days without his partner was fine by him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~days pass~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Itachi ran through the night, silent as death and just as frightening. He stopped outside the target's castle to view the massive building, trying to find the easiest way inside. He settled on sneaking in through the back gate.

As soon as he was inside, he took out the guards and snuck into the actual building, moving quickly and quietly up the stairs and down a dark hall, covered in ornate tapestries and paintings. He came to the last door in the hall and opened it silently, shutting it as soon as he was inside. He walked over to the bed, slowly pulling out a knife. Once he was directly over the sleeping person, he stabbed down, hitting the jugular.

KSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Hmm? He pulled back the covers to reveal a life-sized doll, covered in paper bombs. "Dammit."

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

Itachi jumped out of the window seconds before the blast went off and ran down the side of the building. He heard a whooshing sound and began weaving back and forth as knives were thrown at him.

When he hit the ground, he looked around. Big mistake.

A spotlight was flipped on, landing on top of the Uchiha. He activated his Sharingan and saw the miniature army surrounding him. "Wonderful."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~time passes~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Kisame." The fish man sat up and looked at the Akatsuki leader. "Yes?"

"Itachi has been gone for too long. I think it's safe to assume that something has happened to him. Seeing as he's your partner, it's your job t retrieve him." Kisame was about to protest, when Pein continued. "And if you don't bring him back, don't come back. Am I clear?"

"Yes sir."

"I'll give you this," a man growled, glaring at Itachi through a black eye. "You've got a lot of spunk. And you're not a half bad fighter.

"………."

"The silent treatment won't help you here, kid." The man grinned sadistically as he pulled out a knife with his good arm; the other was in a cast, courtesy of the Uchiha. "We have ways of making you talk." The weasel gave him a flat look, indicating his disbelief.

"Don't believe me?" The man drew a knife out of his pocket and stabbed Itachi's arm, running the blade through several inches of flesh. Itachi winced, but other than that, gave no indication that the attack had had any effect on him. "Tough guy, eh? We'll fix that."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~days pass~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kisame stared at the sight before him and shook his head. One of the castle walls was gone, everything in sight was charred, and there was a pile of dead bodies in the middle of the courtyard. Yup, his partner had definitely been here.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

"Hmm?" he moved closer to the destroyed back gate and listened to the people talking inside.

"What's wrong?"

"It's that damn intruder! I've stabbed him, burned him, thrown boiling water on him-"

"He hasn't talked?"

"HAH! He hasn't even made a sound! All he ever does is take it, then smirk and give me a 'screw you' look! I swear, I'm gonna start cutting things off if he doesn't give in soon!" Kisame rolled his eyes. Once a pain in the ass, always a pain in the ass.

He sighed and unstrapped Samehada. Best get this over with quickly.

Itachi raised his head and looked around. Only one guard. He paused, thinking, trying to determine how much strength he had left. He decided that he had enough. "Hn."

The guard started and turned, walking over. "Did you just talk?" he asked, poking the weasel. "I was seriously beginning to think you were mute or-" he saw the captive's eyes go red, and then his world faded away.

Itachi's body collapsed along with the guards, wincing as the manacles on his wrists kept him from hitting the ground. Panting, he kicked off his shoe and reached down into the guard's pouch, digging out the key. A quick flick of his ankle, and the key was in his mouth. He twisted his body to reach one manacle, then the other. He rubbed his wrists, walking over to pull on his shoe. Ok, he'd killed the target in the earlier battle, so now he could just go home.

He heard a loud crash from above, followed by a scream. That was odd. Oh well. Time to find his clothes.

"Mind explaining what you're doing here?" the torturer asked, staring at his newly fallen men.

"My partner was taking too long to come back, so I had to retrieve him," Kisame replied, shrugging.

"Oh, is that the man we captured?" his opponent grinned. "It's odd to see such loyalty among ninja. Is he special to you?"

"Not really." The man frowned as he looked at Kisame. "Then you have no problem with us killing him?"

"Actually, yes." His enemy smirked. "That is a sure sign of-"

"Hold up." Kisame pointed his sword at the man. "You have endured the company of that weasel for a few days. I, on the other hand, have had to put up with his silence, annoying attitude, monotone voice, and dango fetish for months! If anyone has the right to kill our darling weasel friend, it's me."

"Is that so?" Kisame started and slowly turned around to look at his battered and glaring partner. "Oh, hello Itachi-"

"When we get home, you are dead."

"Excuse me, but you both are dead." Itachi and Kisame both turned to give the man an incredulous look. "You want him?"

"Hn." Itachi charged at the man, while Kisame went back to butchering the rest of the men.

The two were walking along the road in silence, Kisame scared for his life, and Itachi tired beyond all reasonable belief. The shark cleared his throat. "Itachi, I-"

"Came to get me because leader sent you, admitted you hate me, and went on a killing spree."

"Well yeah, but-"

"Kisame," the weasel began, turning so the shark could see his haggard eyes as he spoke in a tone that was low and cold. "I just spent the last few days enduring torture, because or idiot leader couldn't get accurate information. I am tired, hungry, and annoyed, and if you don't shut up, I will kill you now." Kisame was surprised to hear so many words leave the Uchiha's mouth at once. He was even more surprised to watch Itachi turn around and collapse. "…………………………………….Itachi?"

"One word and I'll kill you." The shark stood there, not really sure what to do. Finally, he walked over and picked up his partner, swinging him over his shoulder like a sack of rocks.

"What are you doing?"

"Carrying you." Itachi shot him a glare, and Kisame glared right back. "Don't argue. You're worn out, and I can't go back home without you." Itachi's eyes flashed red. "Settle down." To his amazement, the weasel obeyed the order, looking away from his partner. "Thank you."

"Hn." Kisame rolled his eyes but kept walking down the road, carrying the Uchiha with him.


	5. part 4

Kisame wasn't sure when he stopped wanting to kill his partner.

It wasn't that he'd stopped hating the weasel, of course. Given the chance, he'd probably bash the Uchiha's head against a rock wall, or cut off a few limbs, maybe even gouge out those two dangerous eyes. But he didn't want to kill him.

Kisame pondered his reason as he and Itachi walked along a road, heading back to their base after a recent mission. Itachi had managed to overuse his eyes yet again, so he was sticking close to the shark. Kisame found this strange; the weasel knew Kisame was likely to kill him, yet he still relied on the shark for protection at times like this.

As they continued, Kisame suddenly stiffened and moved closer to his partner. "You feel them?"

"Yes." The Akatsuki disappeared from sight, and a moment later screams echoed through the forest. Their pursuers were now the ones being attacked.

Kisame chased the men through the treetops, Itachi following close behind. The weasel suddenly halted. "Kisame!"

BOOOOOOOOOOM

Itachi watched as his partner fell through the air, landing roughly on a tree branch thirty feet below. He was badly singed from the paper bombs, and was clutching his left arm. Great, that meant he couldn't use his sword.

Itachi turned and caught a new attacker under the chin before spinning around and barbecuing another three. Their pursuers had been planning an ambush, and the Akatsuki had fallen right into it.

He turned to see Kisame having to fight hand to hand. Even though there were only six more, with Kisame unable to use his sword and him unable to use his Sharingan, they man as well have been outnumbered sixty to one.

A sharp cry rang out, and he looked down to see a man fall through the trees. His neck appeared to be broken, judging from the angle of the head. However, his attention quickly fell on Kisame, who was clutching his bleeding side. The attacker had not gone down without getting a blow in.

Itachi realized that there was simply no way they could win in this situation. He caught Kisame's attention and made a quick motion with his hand before disappearing from sight. It took the shark a little while, but he was finally able to break away and ran after Itachi.

"What's the plan?" he asked as they raced through the forest.

"Find somewhere to stop." Oh yeah, brilliant plan. Kisame would have made some snide remark, but now was not the time for that.

Itachi's worn-out eyes were scanning the ground, in hopes of finding some form of shelter. He found it, in the form of an abandoned hut. The weasel quickly dropped to the ground, Kisame fast on his heels. Once they got inside, Itachi shut the door, leaning against it. "How bad are you?" Kisame asked, flopping down to the ground.

"Better than you." Itachi stiffened and peered out through a crack in the wall. "Stay here." He was out the door in a flash before Kisame could protest. Not that the shark wanted to. His first priority was stopping the bleeding in his side, or else he'd be in a lot more trouble than he was now.

As he tried to keep more crimson liquid from flowing out of his body, he heard the distant sounds of battle, along with several screams. By the time he'd managed to treat his injuries, the fight appeared to be over.

Minutes passed, and there was no sign of Itachi. He began to grow worried when the door opened, shutting quickly as the weasel walked in. "You ok?'

"Hn." Kisame noticed that his partner was leaning heavily against the door, and from the sound of his breathing was probably a lot worse than he was willing to let on. Kisame stood and walked over to the door, coming dangerously close to Itachi. "What are you doing?" the Uchiha asked quietly, clearly tired from the recent fight.

"Getting some light so I can make sure I treated all my wounds," Kisame lied, actually hoping to get a better look at the weasel. Itachi, however, moved away and into a corner to the right of the door, which would effectively keep him in the dark when his partner opened the door. Kisame pushed on the wooden door and allowed sunlight to flood the room. "Itachi, come here. I need to make sure you're ok."

"I'm fine."

"NOW." The Uchiha sighed and walked out of the corner and into the sunlight.

Kisame's eyes widened. His partner was covered in soot and blood, with several still bleeding cuts. His eyes were half closed, and his hand was on the wall for support. "Damn, Itachi, you look like a freakin' angel of death."

"Shut up," the weasel ordered, collapsing to the ground. Kisame practically dove forward to catch the smaller man, lowering them both to the ground. He was shocked to find even more cuts on the Uchiha's back, and several lovely bruises on his torso. "You idiot; you were in worse shape than me, but you still tried to protect me." Itachi didn't stir at the words, and Kisame concluded the weasel was out cold.

The shark carefully moved his partner further into the shack, carefully not to aggravate the wounds. He stared at his partner for a moment; not to think, not to let his anger boil, but just to look at the Uchiha. _"He really does look like an angel…." _Kisame quickly fished out his canteen and tore off a strip of Itachi's bloody shirt, soaking the fabric with the water. "Well angel, let's get you cleaned up."

When Itachi woke up, he noticed that it was quiet, and dark.

He shot up, only to let out a small cry and clutch his side. "You probably have a cracked rib," a familiar voice said from across the room. Itachi's head jerked towards the voice and was able to make out the faint outline of Kisame. "How do you know?"

He heard a chuckle. "Who do you think doctored you up, Itachi?" The weasel reached down and realized his torso was covered in strips of cloth. "By the way, your shirt's ruined." Itachi tried to stand, only to cry out once more and sink down. Kisame was by him in a flash, broad hand pushing down on the weasel's chest. "Don't even think about it. You need sleep, and we can wait until morning to go." He got up and walked over to the door, sitting down and leaning against it. "I'll keep watch, so just relax." The last thing Itachi wanted to do was obey the order, but he reluctantly shut his eyes and allowed himself to drift off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~the next morning~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You ok?"

"Hn."

"Let me know if I hurt your ribs."

"Hn."

"If you say 'hn', one more time, I'll give you a lovely set of broken ribs."

"Alright."

The duo had risen bright and early to make up for lost time. Unfortunately, Itachi was still in no condition to walk, so Kisame had to carry him on his back. "I suppose I should thank you," Itachi muttered absently.

"You don't thank people if you're doing it because you have to."

"Why?" Kisame turned to make sure he'd heard right. Itachi was staring at him, an inquiring look in his eyes. "Simple," the shark said, turning back around. "If you only thank them because you have to, or because it's polite, you're not really thanking them. It's like your reciting lines from a play or something." Itachi paused, absorbing the words. "I see."

"Good."

"Thank you." Kisame started and turned his head to look at Itachi once more. The weasel's head was resting on his shoulder, eyes shut. A moment later, Kisame heard the sound of steady breathing. Itachi had fallen back asleep.

Kisame looked up at the sky, thinking. _"When he's asleep, he really doesn't seem like such a bastard."_ He sighed. "Why can't you be like this more often, Itachi?"


	6. part 5

The base was empty for once. Well, not completely empty. Pein was forever paranoid that someone would break in and ruin the Akatsuki headquarters, so he always had at least one team stay behind. This time, it was Kisame and Itachi.

Kisame sighed as he lay on the couch, staring at the ceiling. He'd already counted the number of cracks in the ceiling (162), practiced with his sword, and read all the books on their bookcase that held his interest, so now he had absolutely nothing to do.

He gritted his teeth as he recalled why they were here. It was Itachi's fault. Pein normally had a hard time deciding who would stay at the base when he and Konan had to leave for assignments, but as soon as Kisame came through the door carrying a weasel with a fractured rib, the decision was quickly made that they would be the ones to stay home.

Speaking of the weasel….Kisame climbed off the couch and stretched. His partner had yet to leave their room all day. He was probably moping or something. Well, he may as well go bother the Uchiha; after all, it was Itachi's fault that the shark was currently bored out of his mind.

Kisame walked down the hall of the base, stopping outside the room he shared with Itachi. He turned the knob and walked in, looking around for his partner. To his surprise, the weasel was lying in their shared bed, eyes half closed. If Kisame had to guess, he'd say the Uchiha hadn't gotten out of bed all day. "Itachi?" he asked, walking over to his partner. "You ok?"

"My eyes hurt," the weasel muttered, not bothering to look at his partner. Kisame reached out and felt his partner's forehead. "Your forehead's hot," Kisame stated.

"Your hands are cold."

"Itachi, you're sick."

"No I'm not." The shark rolled his eyes and stood. "I'll be right back," he called out, walking out the door. He came back into the room a few minutes later, thermometer in hand. "Open your mouth," he ordered, placing the medical tool under Itachi's tongue. A few minutes later he extracted it and held it up to the light, a triumphant smile crossing his face as he read it. "102. I knew it." His gaze fell on his partner. "What did I tell you? You're sick."

"Hn." The Uchiha shut his eyes and tried to ignore the shark, intent on going back to sleep. He heard his partner exit the room once again, wondering what the shark was doing now. He received his answer when Kisame returned minutes later, walking over to the weasel and forcing Itachi to sit up. "Take these," he commanded, holding out two pills and a glass of water. Itachi raised a brow, wondering if the supposed medicine was poisoned. "It's just something to help reduce your fever," Kisame growled, noticing the look Itachi gave the pills. The weasel sighed and took the medicine, immediately lying down only to be pulled up again. "Drink the rest of the water. You need to force fluids." Itachi gave his partner a half-hearted glare before swallowing the cool liquid, lying down once again. This time the shark didn't bother him, and left the room.

When Itachi woke up, the sun had gone down, and the ceiling light had been flipped on. Itachi slowly sat up, not wanting to further injure his ribs. "Lie down." He turned and saw Kisame on the other side of the room, reading a book. He obeyed the order, lying down to stare at the ceiling. "How do you feel?"

"Fine." Kisame walked over to the bed, forcing the Uchiha to scoot over so he could sit on the mattress as well. His arm reached out and came to rest on the Uchiha's forehead. "You still feel warm." He sighed and started to rise to his feet-"I'm sorry."

Kisame froze and sank back down onto the bed. "Did you just apologize?"

"Hn."

"For what, may I ask?"

"We're stuck here because of my cracked rib. Then I get sick. If leader comes home now, we'll be here even longer because I'm ill. I know how much it bothers you to sit around like this when you'd rather be out and about, so I'm sorry." A small smile crossed his lips for a moment. "In all the time I was in Konoha, I never once got hurt," he continued thoughtfully. "But since I joined the Akatsuki, I've been nearly strangled, tortured, received broken ribs, and now I have a cold."

"That's what's known as karma," Kisame stated, smirking. His fingers began moving, gently stroking his partner's head. He wasn't really aware of what he was doing until the weasel shut his eyes and whispered, "That feels nice."

The shark started before continuing, mentally kicking himself for showing any kind of affection for his partner. He wasn't supposed to care about anyone, especially not the man who'd been making his last few months hell on earth……..

Itachi's breathing was now low and even, indicating he'd fallen asleep. Kisame didn't want to leave the sleeping Uchiha, and continued to run his fingers through the raven colored hair, noticing for the first time that Itachi had let his locks out of their usual ponytail. "I like you better when you're sick," Kisame muttered under his breath, fingers trailing down the weasel's face and coming to rest on his cheek before completely leaving Itachi's body. He stood and walked over to the door, quietly exiting the room. There was no way he was getting sick as well.

Meaning the shark would be spending the night on the couch.


	7. part 6

A man whistled as Kisame and Itachi walked by. For the fifth time that night, Itachi reached for the knife hidden inside his outfit. For the fifth time that night, Kisame's arm shot out to grab his hand. "Itachi, calm down. Pein told us specifically to lay low, and that means no killing." Itachi shot him a glare but retracted his hand, letting it droop to the side once more. "Why are we here?"

"Mandatory vacation." Kisame looked around the small town they'd recently entered. It was time for a spring festival, and all the villagers were out and about. "Pein thought we were getting too stressed, so he let us take a break."

"That's fine," Itachi hissed, gritting his teeth. "But why the hell am I in a kimono?!"

"Because you're so freakin' skinny the only person who could lend you clothes for the festival was Konan," Kisame answered, grinning down at his miserable partner. It was nice to see the normally calm and collected Uchiha squirm like this.

Another cat call made the Uchiha's eyes flash red. "Easy Itachi, you need to just take a few deep breaths-"

"No, what I need is to make a few deep stab wounds," the weasel growled, reaching for his knives yet again.

Kisame sighed. At this rate, the Uchiha would go on a mass killing spree. "Itachi, do you want me to make them stop?"

"How?" the weasel asked.

"Promise you won't murder me first."

"How?" the weasel repeated, eyes wary. Kisame gave up and grabbed the Uchiha's shoulders, stepping in front of his partner. Before Itachi could question the movement, his lips were against the shark's.

They stayed like that for a moment, before Kisame pulled away, smirking. "See? Now people will think you're mine. Problem solved."

"…"

"Hmm?" The shark frowned. "Itachi, what's wrong?"

The weasel stared at him, eyes wide. Suddenly he blinked and turned. "I'm going back to our room." He was gone in a flash.

Kisame looked around and was relived to see that no one had noticed the weasel's disappearance. He gritted his teeth as he began walking down the streets. "Dammit Itachi, you could have blown our cover!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~several hours later~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kisame had finished up at the festival and was heading to the hotel room he was sharing with Itachi. Sighing, he opened the door, wondering if the weasel had cheered up at all.

He ducked as a knife imbedded itself in the wall where his head had been a moment earlier. Apparently not.

"Itachi…" the weasel was sitting on their bed, eyes red, glaring at the shark. "Go. Away."

"This is our room, Itachi. I'm not budging."

"Well you're not sleeping near me!" the duo had had to rent a room with one bed, due to the high number of guests staying in the area for the festival.

"Oh, so where do you propose I sleep?" Kisame asked in a sarcastic tone.

"The couch."

"There is no couch!"

"The floor then," the weasel growled, crawling under the covers. Kisame tried to walk over to the bed, only to have another knife land inches from his feet. The weasel was serious.

Kisame walked over to the corner, growling. "I hate you."

"Hn."

"Itachi, it's been two weeks! When the hell are you going to talk?!" The weasel gave no indication he'd even heard the shark, staring straight ahead as they walked down the road.

Kisame sighed in frustration and looked up at the sky. "Why me?" Kisame had thought the silence was bad before. He'd been wrong. Apparently, Itachi's 'I-refuse-to-speak-to-you-because-it's-beneath-me' silence was way better than his 'I-am-so-pissed-I-am-going-to-kill-you-the-next-time-you-look-at-me' silence.

Kisame shook his head. What was he going to do when they got home? Just walk up to Pein and say that Itachi and he weren't on speaking terms because he'd kissed the weasel? Yeah, that would go over really well Sir Leader. He had to try and work things out while they were still on the road, before it was too late. "Itachi," he began again, walking forward and grabbing the weasel's shoulder.

Itachi immediately jerked away and glared at his partner. "What?" he hissed.

Great, he'd gotten the weasel to speak. It was a start, at least. "Why is this such an issue with you?"

"It's not." Itachi tried to turn away again, but Kisame grabbed his arm, holding him in place. "Oh yes it is. Now what's the problem? You homophobic or something?"

"No."

"Then what's wrong? You just used to stealing kisses from pretty girls instead of someone taking them from you?"

"…" Itachi looked away.

"What? Were the girls the ones to steal kisses from you?" A faint blush crossed Itachi's face, and something clicked in the back of Kisame's head. "Or maybe…you've never been kissed?"

Itachi's cheek turned dark red and he pulled himself free from the shark, walking down the road at a faster pace than before. _"No way…"_ Kisame ran up to his partner. "Is that what this is about? You're mad because I stole your first kiss?"

No answer. Of course.

Kisame paused, trying to decide his next move. "Look, if it bothers you so much-"

"It doesn't."

"Itachi, you suck at lying." The weasel shot him an angry glare. "Look, you were the one that wanted those bastards to stop ogling you, I just tried to help!" Kisame said in an exasperated tone.

"You could have found a better solution."

Kisame was close to strangling the weasel. "Itachi, it was just a kiss!" The weasel's eye twitched and he ran ahead. Kisame raised his brow. Ok, what was wrong now?

He mentally repeated their conversation, increasing his pace again to keep up with the Uchiha. It wasn't like Itachi to just flip out because of some kiss, so what was the problem?

The answer came to him in a flash, and his arm shot out to grab Itachi's once more. "What now?" the weasel asked in his normal monotone.

"That's it, isn't it? You're mad because your first kiss was just a way to get people to leave you alone. Nothing behind it, right?"

"…"

"Itachi…" Kisame moved in front of the weasel. "What would happen if I said there WAS something behind that kiss?"

"I'd call you a liar," Itachi replied, even as a faint blush crept back across his cheeks.

"And if I prove it?"

"You can't."

"Oh really?" Once again, the weasel had no time to react before he was trapped in another kiss.

Itachi's mind proceeded to shut down, completely immobilizing his body. This kiss was longer, and felt better than the first. Kisame pulled away, smirking down at his partner. "Does that prove it?"

"Quit doing that."

"What, this?" Kisame quickly gave the weasel another peck on the lips.

"Yes, that!"

"I know you like it, Itachi."

"No I don't."

"Oh really?" Kisame leaned in close to his partner. "Itachi, I know how much you hate it when people get close to you. If anyone, including me, ever tried to pull something like this, and you didn't like it, they'd already be dead." Itachi's eyes widened as he realized he'd just walked into the shark's trap. Kisame grinned. "I knew it. Now admit it."

"…Fine. I like it." Itachi glared up at the shark. "But stop doing it so much."

"Alright," Kisame agreed, kissing Itachi on the cheek.


	8. part 7

"Itachi…"

"What?" the weasel asked, looking up from the desk he was sitting at to stare at his partner on the bed.

"When are we going to get our next mission?" Kisame asked, stretching lazily before lying back against the headboard.

"We already received it."

"And…?"

"We leave tomorrow morning." Kisame grinned. "Finally! I thought we were going to be stuck here forever." The grinned disappeared and was replaced by a frown. "So what do we do until then?"

"Hn," Itachi muttered, returning his attention to the book on the desk. "Itachi, come here." The Uchiha turned around again to see the shark smirking at him. Itachi frowned as he rose to his feet, walking over to the blue skinned man. What was Kisame up to this time?

He sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at his partner. "Yes?" Kisame grabbed his waist and pulled the weasel into his lap and making his partner shoot him a questioning look. "Wanna kill some time?" Kisame asked.

"Alright…" Itachi felt a hand slip up his neck, and suddenly he was pulled forward, lips connecting with Kisame's. The weasel began to struggle and pulled away, glaring at the shark. "Lighten up, Itachi. It's a good way to pass the time, and you need some practice." The Uchiha's cheek were decorated with a light blush as Kisame reached up and pulled him close again. This time, Itachi didn't pull away.

The shark smiled to himself as he kissed the weasel, feeling Itachi's hand grab the front of his cloak and squeeze the fabric. Itachi was under-practiced and willing to let Kisame have control in their relationship, a fact that both surprised and pleased the shark. "I wonder…" the shark gently nibbled the Uchiha's lower lip. Itachi seemed to hesitate, before slowly opening his mouth and allowing the shark inside. Kisame quickly took advantage of this and worked his tongue inside, pushing against Itachi's. He'd never gotten the chance to do this, and was eager to use the situation to his advantage-

A knock on the door interrupted them, Itachi quickly pulling away to answer it. "Here are the details for your assignment. It's a basic assassination, so don't screw it up, ok?"

"Hn," Itachi answered, turning to walk back into the room as Pein shut the door. Kisame sighed and stretched out on the bed; apparently their fun was over. "Lights out," He muttered as he shut off the bedside lamp, feeling the mattress sink as the Uchiha climbed in beside him.

Itachi was staring at the ground as the two Akatsuki walked down the road, deep in thought. He wanted to ask his partner a question, but for once in his life couldn't find the right words to use. Kisame seemed oblivious to the weasel's dilemma, leaving him alone to his thoughts. Finally giving up on trying to find the perfect wording, he looked up at his partner and moved closer to him. "Kisame."

The shark started and turned his head to the Uchiha; seeing Itachi initiate a conversation was rare, and usually only done when something important had to be said. "Yes, Itachi?"

"I know we've been making out and whatnot, but….does that mean we're dating?" Short, sweet, and possibly the most embarrassing the Uchiha had ever said aloud.

"Not necessarily." Itachi raised a brow, questioning Kisame's meaning. "You only go out with someone if you care for them. I know you suck at emotions, so it's pretty much impossible for that to happen. But I like kissing you, you like it too, so we're fine. Now kindly try and focus that brainpower of yours on our mission." Itachi nodded as they walked on, not entirely sure if he liked the shark's answer.

Itachi smiled as he watched four more ninja become consumed by his flames, sidestepping an attacker before trapping him briefly in a gen jutsu. He heard a loud clang ring out and turned to see Kisame beat back another opponent, Samehada drenched in blood. Leader had been right; for once, they'd gotten a typical assignment, with typical weaklings guarding their target.

The number of opponents gradually dwindled down, until only the shark and weasel were left. They were both panting as they stood in the treetops, Kisame grinning at his partner. "Wow, I can't believe we actually had a job go off without a hitch." His grip of Samehada slipped and the weapon plummeted to the ground. "Dammit," he growled, jumping down to retrieve it.

"Hn," Itachi answered, eyes carefully scanning over the area for any traps the dearly departed may have left. He caught a flicker of movement and saw a man rise to his feet, swinging his arm back to throw something at his partner. He was too far away for Itachi to reach before the attack was made, and there wasn't enough time to warn his partner, who had only just then grabbed hold of his weapon. Itachi's mind stopped working, and his body moved of its own accord.

Kisame turned around as he heard the sound of flesh being stabbed. His eyes widened and his heart skipped a beat.

Itachi was standing behind him, knife protruding from his chest. He hadn't even been given a chance to draw a weapon of his own, and had used his body as a human shield. "Ita-" four more knives flew through the air and imbedded themselves in the Uchiha, making his body jerk from the force. He managed to draw a knife and throw it in the general direction of their attacker, before spitting up blood and passing out.

Itachi wasn't sure how much later he woke up, or where he was. Only that it was warm and soft around him, and Kisame was sighing a lot. He was about to open his eyes when he felt a calloused hand settle itself into his hair and gently stroke his head. "Dammit angel, why'd you do that?" Kisame muttered.

"What did you call me?" The shark practically jumped out of his skin and quickly retracted his hand, looking anywhere but at the Uchiha's face. "Well, it's just, you look like an angel of death, so that's what I've been thinking of you as…"

"It's nice," Itachi muttered, earning a weird look from his partner. "That's the blood loss talking," Kisame muttered, sitting down on the bed by Itachi.

"How bad?"

"Nothing lasting. The guy was half dead, so his aim was pretty crappy. He did manage to graze your lung, and one came fairly close to your heart, but you'll be fine. I managed to get you patched up pretty quickly, though. Now, mind telling me why you pulled that stunt?"

"You couldn't have moved in time."

"And?"

Itachi looked at the floor. "I just freaked out…"

"Why?"

"Because I do care about you." Kisame sighed and extended a hand, stroking the Uchiha's cheek. "And you couldn't have just said it like any normal person, right?"

"Hn." Kisame smiled and bent down, giving the Uchiha a kiss. "So does that mean you want to go out?"

"…"

"Itachi, answer me."

"Hn."

"I'll take that as a yes, angel," Kisame stated, making the Uchiha smile and force himself up off the bed to give the shark a kiss.


	9. part 8

KNOCK KNOCK

No answer

Pein knocked on the door again, louder. "Kisame Itachi, are you in there?" Dumb question; of course they were in there. No one had left the base all day, and the shark and weasel hadn't been found anywhere else.

The leader sighed and pulled out his skeleton key. He hated to use this (especially after the time he'd walked in on Sasori and Deidara "bonding") but desperate times called for desperate measures. "Kisame-"

The man in question was on the bed, Itachi straddling his lap, their lips locked. It took a few seconds before they even noticed Pein was in the room, and then it was Itachi that spoke. "Can we help you?" he asked, craning his neck around as Kisame kept a firm grip on his lower body.

"I have your next assignment in my office. Come get it when you're….done," Pein ordered, eyes carefully averted.

"Hn," Itachi answered, attention already back on his boyfriend. Pein quickly exited the room, not wanting to see anymore of their make-out session.

Pein walked down the hallway and ducked into his office, sighing as he walked over and flopped down into his chair. "Dammit…."

"Problems?" Konan asked, giving the leader a concerned look.

"I just walked in on a shark and weasel sucking face, does that count?"

"So, Itachi and Kisame are at it again?"

Pein gripped the arms of his chair. "Yes! But I'm determined to put a stop to this before it gets too late."

"If it wasn't a problem with the other groups-"

"Who says it wasn't a problem?!" Pein snapped. "Ever since Hidan and Kakuzu started going out, their efficiency has plummeted, because they're more concerned about protecting each other than doing their mission! Zetsu and Tobi are always off on assignments, and whenever they get back the little idiot can't walk! Oh, and let's not forget that none of us can remember the last time we could sleep at night, courtesy of Sasori and Deidara! No," he growled, "I'm going to stop this before anything can happen."

"How do you plan on doing that?"

"Itachi relies on Kisame to protect him, right, Well, I'm going to show them that there are some missions where Kisame can't protect Itachi."

Kisame sat up when he heard the door open and saw his partner walk in. "What's our assignment?"

"Infiltration and extracting information." Kisame frowned; this kind of mission wasn't exactly his favorite kind of assignment. He sighed. "Well, at least it's just a simple mission, right?"

"…"

"Hmm? Itachi?" The weasel was staring at the wall, a distant look on his face. "Hey, you ok angel?"

The weasel seemed to snap back to reality at the sound of his nickname. "Yes."

"You sure?"

"Hn." The weasel crawled into bed, back to the shark. "We leave at dawn." Kisame took this as a, 'go to bed' and crawled in beside his boyfriend, kissing him on the cheek. "Night, angel." Itachi muttered a good night as he continued to stare at the wall, the details of this assignment making him want to be sick.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~days later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Alright, what's wrong?" Itachi turned to look at his partner, stopping in the middle of the road. "Hn?"

"You're being quiet. And not, 'I'm-quiet-because-I-hate-talking' quiet, but 'I'm-being-quiet-because-something's-eating-me-alive' quiet."

"How can you tell the difference?" Itachi asked, a curious look on his face.

"That's my little secret. Now answer my question." Itachi looked at the ground. "There's a detail about this assignment I haven't told you…"

"Yes?"

"I…have already been given a position inside the target's house. I just have to work a few days there, so we won't have to resort to torture."

"That's it?" Kisame asked incredulously.

"I thought you'd be upset, because you won't be able to do anything." Kisame shrugged his shoulders. "It's annoying, but no big deal."

"Alright," Itachi muttered, turning back around. As he started walking again, he wondered why he hadn't just told the whole truth then and there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~that night~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kisame sighed in frustration as he sat on the hotel room bed, waiting. What was taking his partner so long?! "Itachi, hurry up!" No answer. The shark gritted his teeth and rose to his feet. If Itachi wasn't going to come out, he was going to come in. Just as he began walking towards the door, it creaked open, and the Uchiha stepped out. Kisame was happy that the weasel was finally done-until he saw Itachi's clothing. "What the hell are you wearing?!"

Itachi was standing before him, gaze averted, dressed in the sluttiest kimono the shark had ever seen.

"Itachi…" The Uchiha looked up at his partner. "Is there something else about the mission you forgot to tell me?"

The weasel nodded his head. "The job that Pein secured for me…was as a whore for the target."

"No."

Itachi shut his eyes and sighed. "Kisame-"

"I said no!" Kisame's hands were clenched into fists, and he was gritting his teeth. "There is no way I'm letting some pervert touch you! Why can't we just drag him away and let you use your Sharingan on him?!"

"Pein said not to leave any signs that the Akatsuki were involved in this, and the mental damage of a Sharingan is easily traceable. And no, we can't kill him," Itachi said, answering the unasked question.

Kisame was angrily pacing the room, growls escaping his throat every now and then. "So what, I just let some bastard rape you?!"

"Is this really eating at you so much?"

"HELL YES!"

The weasel paused, thinking, before walking up to his partner. "Alright. Let's do it."

Kisame froze as his mind shut down. Did he just…"Itachi, what did you just say?"

"I said let's do it," the Uchiha replied, already stripping down.

"Hold on!" Kisame grabbed Itachi's wrists, halting the weasel's movements. "Itachi, you don't have to-"

"Kisame." The shark halted in mid-sentence. Itachi looked up at him, a frown on his face. "I refuse to let my first time be with some lecher."

"If you don't want me-"

"If I let you have my first kiss and be my first boyfriend, why the hell would I have a problem with you being my first?" Kisame didn't have an answer for that, so Itachi went back to stripping them. Still, his hesitation could be seen by the shark, and you could feel the nervousness radiating from his body. Kisame reached down and grabbed both wrists once more. "Itachi, no."

"Don't argue with me, Kisame."

"I won't have sex with you if you're only doing it so he doesn't have you first."

"Then what do you suggest we do?!" Itachi asked, an edge to his voice.

"First, calm down. Look, Itachi, I have a plan, but you have to listen, ok?" The Uchiha nodded, an unsure look on his face as his eyes focused on the carpet. "Itachi, look at me." Kisame leaned down to make eye contact with his partner. "I swear, I won't let him hurt you. Alright?"

"If you break that promise, I'll kill you." Kisame didn't hear the threat; just the worry in his partner's voice.

"Ahh, so you're the new one," Their target, known only as Red said, smiling lecherously at the Uchiha. "Please, come in. And do shut the door." Itachi obeyed, shutting the door and slinking across the room. "Hello," he whispered as he stopped, sitting down near the man.

"My my, aren't you a cutie?" Red said thoughtfully, reaching out and grabbing the weasel's chin, turning his head side to side. "Probably the cutest whore I've ever seen." It took a lot of willpower, but Itachi was able to keep from activating his eyes right then and there. "I appreciate the compliment."

Red smiled and reached up, untying Itachi's hair band. "Your hair looks so much better down," he murmured, hands sliding down and cupping the Uchiha's face.

Itachi was nearly gagging. Best get this over with quick. "I could say the same thing of you. But looks aren't everything, are they?"

"Hmm?' Red frowned and let his hands slip into the kimono, groping Itachi. "What do you mean?"

"Come on," Itachi purred, a fake smile on his face. "A guy look you must have a lot of power around here."

"You're rather sharp," Red muttered, sliding Itachi's sleeves off his shoulders.

"I can recognize power when I see it," Itachi whispered, praying the man wouldn't try anything more. His prayers went unanswered as the man bit down on his throat. Itachi gasped but managed to restrain himself. "I'll bet your rich as well."

"Hmm, you're much smarter than I thought," Red murmured, lips ghosting down Itachi's neck.

"It's a shame; most people are either rich or smart, but you seem to be both."

"Shh, you shouldn't talk so much."

"Alright, just one more question," Itachi said, heart racing as the man forced him to lie on the floor.

"What's that?"

"Is the rumor I heard about you true?"

"You'd have to tell me what the rumor is first," Red replied, shaking a finger in Itachi's face.

"Do you really keep all your money in an underground safe?" Itachi asked, blinking innocently.

"Who put such a foolish idea into your pretty little head?" Red asked, hands running up and down Itachi's sides and making the weasel sick. "Everything precious to me is kept close at hand, in this very room. Now then, how about we have a little fun?"

"On one condition. It's just something I enjoy hearing in bed."

"What's that?"

Itachi smirked. "Call me angel."

The window to the room burst open, and in a mere second Red was lying on the other side of the room, out cold. Kisame was shaking, staring at the man's limp body. "You ok?" he managed to choke out.

"Yes. He only groped me, nothing more. The scroll's somewhere in this room." Kisame nodded and began looking around while Itachi redressed himself. The search didn't take long; Kisame was almost embarrassed to find the scroll they'd come to get hidden under Red's mattress. _"For PETA's sake…"_ he shook his head and stood. "Ready to go?"

Itachi silently approached him and wrapped both arms around Kisame's free arm, hugging him tightly. "Thank you," he whispered.

"No problem, angel."


	10. part 9

"Grrrrr……" Pein was sitting in his office, growling as he wadded up the most recent report.

"I take it you found out what happened with Kisame and Itachi?" Konan asked, a knowing smile on her face.

"Why the hell….they should have…" Pein kept muttering to himself, making Konan shake her head and walk closer. "Pein, you lost. Just leave them alone and move on."

"Konan, I may have lost the battle, but the war is far from over." The blue haired woman frowned. "Care to elaborate on that?"

"I was too hasty. Kisame would of course come to Itachi's aid; it was foolish of me to assume that he'd just stay on the sidelines. No, we're going to have to get under their skin and chip away at their relationship, little by little."

"How?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~the next day~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Kisame, Itachi, my office. NOW!" Pein heard the sound of shuffling feet, followed by a door cracking open, revealing a shirtless Kisame. "Now?"

"Isn't that what I just said?" the leader grumbled, walking away. He returned to his office and waited for the shark and weasel. A few minutes later they entered, looking at the leader. "Is there a problem?" Kisame asked.

"Yes. You two have become entirely dependent on each other in a fight, so much so that it's unhealthy. You two are to be put on solo assignments until further notice." Pein turned and grabbed a manila folder from on top of a large stack of them behind his desk. "Kisame, you leave tomorrow for a job, Any questions?"

"No."

"Hn."

"Alright, you're dismissed." The two men left and walked down the hall, silent until they got into their room. "Well, this has to be a first," Kisame muttered. Itachi raised a brow as his partner walked over to the bed, sitting down and holding his head in his hands. "I mean, I've heard of teams split up because they couldn't work together, but never split because they work too well together." The shark chuckled as Itachi walked over to him, staring. "Well, this is just great," Kisame muttered. He looked up as he felt Itachi latch onto his arm. "Angel?"

"Hn?"

"You ok?" Itachi shook his head no, making Kisame sigh and grab him, pulling the weasel down into his lap. "Look, it's just for a few weeks. No big deal, right?"

"Hn."

"Good. Then relax; I kind of like the circulation in my arm."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~three months later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Itachi was sitting in his room, reading a scroll. Or rather, trying to read the scroll. He'd just gotten back from a mission, and had been told that Kisame should arrive soon. So, despite his best intentions, the weasel was glancing up at the door every ten seconds, hoping to see Kisame return. After about two hours of this, he set the scroll aside and walked out of their room and into the kitchen. The only person in the room was Konan, and she appeared to be busy trying to figure out how to make pancakes. "Konan, do you have any idea when Kisame will be back?"

"Huh?' She stopped her work to turn and look at the Uchiha. "You mean he's not back yet? His mission was supposed to have ended days ago."

The Uchiha felt his pulse quicken but remained calm and collected. "I see. Tell me, where did he get sent?"

"The mountains up north, why?" She responded, turning back to her pancake mix. When she didn't receive a reply right away, she shifted to look at the weasel.

Itachi was gone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~days later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kisame ducked to avoid a kunai and spun around just in time to catch another one, flipping it around and flinging it back at its owner, catching him in the chest. More knives flew through the air, graving his arm.

The shark had been running for the last few days, and was practically dead on his feet. This assignment would have been a challenge for a team, but making this a solo job was virtually ensuring his death.

He dodged another well aimed knife and lunged forward, slicing at an enemy before falling back, running again. The shark didn't know how many ninja were following him, and he didn't intend on sticking around long enough to count.

Kisame changed course and ran into the forest, hoping to lose them in the dense foliage. His prayers went unanswered as the group picked up their pace, closing in on him. "GAAAHH!" Kisame turned to see one man fall forward, a knife in his back. Before the enemies could process this loss, another one was down, followed by a third being hit in the arm. This time they were ready, and hurled a knife with a paper bomb around it at a tree branch.

BOOOOOOOOOOM

Kisame looked at the singed spot, waiting for the smoke to clear. "You shouldn't let your guard down." Kisame jerked his eyes away to stare down at his partner. "Itachi?!"

"Hn."

"What are you doing here?!"

"Aiding my partner," the weasel stated nonchalantly, drawing a knife and bringing it in front of him to defend himself.

"Itachi, why aren't you using your eyes?"

"I've been running for the last three days straight. I couldn't use my Sharingan if my life depended on it."

Kisame snorted. "You really could have picked a better choice of words, you know."

"Kisame." The shark looked down at his partner. "Listen. Just charge and take them down. Don't think about it."

"That's suicide!"

"Kisame, I'll protect you. Don't worry, just go." Kisame adjusted his sword, looking over the group surrounding them. "Twelve," Itachi said, answering the unasked question.

Kisame locked his gaze and the closest one and charged forward blindly, praying the weasel would keep his word. Several loud clangs of metal on metal confirmed his hope, and he sliced down his target with little effort. "Ok, eleven to go…"

"Explain to me why the hell Pein-in-the-ass had to send us on this Jashin damned retrieval mission," Hidan grumbled, following his partner.

"Because he doesn't think Kisame will be ok, and he's fairly certain Itachi won't be much help," Kakuzu answered, ignoring his partner's complaints. He stiffened. "They're nearby. I can feel their chakra." Hidan began looking around, hoping to catch sight of them, or an enemy ninja that he could slice up. They turned and left the path, wandering into a forest area. As they walked deeper into the woods, they came across dead bodies, some of which appeared to be torn into shreds. "This looks like Kisame's work," the banker muttered.

"They're cold as hell," Hidan muttered, bending down and feeling the corpse. "Those two bastards must have taken off." Hidan stood and began looking around. "But you're right, they're nearby." The two Akatsuki walked away from the battlefield, searching for their friends. The finally came across a cave, the opening so well hidden that if they hadn't felt their friend's presence the would have missed it. Hidan kneeled down and pulled away the bushes around it's entrance, only to have a knife come flying at his face. "JASHIN DAMMIT!" He tore away the brush and glared down into the cave. "What the hell…were you….dear Jashin."

Itachi was on his knees, dried blood caked onto his body and clothing badly torn. Kisame was lying on the ground behind him, out cold. The Uchiha stared at the immortal, blinking. "Hidan?"

"Kakuzu, can you give me a hand?" Hidan reached down and grabbed Itachi's hand, helping him up and out of the cave, before crawling inside to get Kisame. "He's asleep," Itachi explained, locking his legs to avoid falling. A moment later, the shark and immortal emerged, both looking worriedly at the weasel. "I'm just tired," Itachi muttered, leaning against Kisame. The shark turned to Kakuzu. "You have any soldier pills?"

"They won't help him much," the banker muttered, pulling one out and handing it to the shark. To his shock, Kisame popped it into his own mouth, swallowing. "What the hell?!" Hidan yelled as Itachi shut his eyes, asleep on his feet.

"You're right," Kisame said, grabbing the weasel carefully. "It won't help him. But someone has to carry him back, and it may as well be me." Kakuzu and Hidan said nothing as Kisame slung over his back, allowing them to head back to the base.

"Where the hell have you been?!" Pein demanded as soon as he saw Kisame. "You were supposed to be back days ago, you stupid shark!"

"Hidan, please take Itachi up to our room," Kisame asked quietly, handing the Uchiha to the immortal. He watched as the zealot walked off, before returning his attention to his angry boss. "Now listen up, Kisame, you-"

"No, you listen." Kisame leaned down to be eye level with the leader, completely exhausted. "Pein, I am tired, I am sore, and I am pissed as hell at you for sending me on that suicide assignment. What's more, Itachi got hurt. BADLY." He brought his face close to the leader's, voice lowering to a deadly whisper. "I am so far beyond giving a damn it's not even funny, so listen up. Itachi and I are through working solo jobs. I don't care what the hell our next assignment is, as long as we're together. Am I clear?" He straightened himself and walked off before the leader could respond, heading to the room he shared with Itachi.

Kisame was grateful to see that Hidan had taken the liberty of tucking Itachi in under the covers before he left. Apparently even Jashinists had hearts. He dropped his sword and cloak and walked over to the bed, sliding in beside Itachi. The shark grabbed his partner and pulled him close to his chest. They'd been separated during the last three months of solo jobs, and nothing was going to keep him from sleeping next to his partner now. Itachi mumbled something in his sleep and snuggled against the shark. Kisame stroked the weasel's hair. Itachi was definitely worth mouthing off to the leader.

Even if it meant he was more than likely going to appear on a sushi plate tomorrow.


	11. part 10

Itachi's mind was racing as he walked down the road, his inner turmoil well disguised by his stoic appearance. For once Kisame couldn't sense the worry radiating from the Uchiha, which was exactly what Itachi had hoped for. After all, Kisame was the cause of his inner battle.

Ever since the night he'd nearly been violated (that was how the weasel referred to it as) he'd been thinking heavily about his attempt at giving his body to the shark. Itachi had done it primarily because he didn't want their target to be his first; yet that hadn't been the only reason. He really and truly wanted to have sex with the shark.

So why couldn't he work up the courage to tell Kisame again?

He let out a small sigh of frustration, earning a stare from his partner. "Itachi, are you all right?"

"Hn." The weasel quickly returned to his thoughts. No, he was not alright. He was fighting the desire to screw with the shark because he was…well, in all honesty, scared.

"Itachi, what's wrong?" The Uchiha was surprised by how close Kisame had managed to get to him in the short time he'd spent thinking after his answer. Kisame grabbed his shoulder and stopped them, eyes searching the weasel's stoic face for some hint to the answer. "Well?"

"…" Itachi moved closer and stood on his toes, kissing the shark on the lips. He held them together like that for a few seconds before pulling away, a thoughtful look in his eyes. "That's not an answer," Kisame said bluntly, even more concerned about his partner now.

"I need to think," Itachi murmured, licking his lips and wishing for more of the shark than the pathetic taste he'd just gotten.

Kisame watched with mild interest as his lover sat on the edge of their bed, muttering softly to himself every now and then. Seeing Itachi upset like this was new, and a bit worrisome. "Angel, please say something. And I don't mean to yourself, like you've been doing for the last twenty minutes."

The Uchiha gave his boyfriend a surprised look before shutting his eyes and sighing, head coming to rest in his hands. "I'm…confused."

"…About?"

The weasel sighed and moved to his partner, climbing into the shark's lap. He looked up and pressed his lips to Kisame's again, frowning when the shark pulled away. "I already told you, that doesn't count as an answer."

"Well, it'll have to do," Itachi growled, kissing his partner again with more force. Kisame eventually returned the kiss, arms slipping around the weasel's waist to hold him steady. He began biting the Uchiha's lower lip, surprised when his partner granted him immediate access. His tongue darted into the weasel's mouth, fighting Itachi for dominance and quickly winning. As his tongue explored the weasel's mouth, his hand slid up Itachi's thigh, then over his hips, until it slipped under the hem of his love's shirt. The Uchiha's breath hitched at the feel of the cold hands, before his attention returned to the tongue in his mouth that was giving him so much pleasure. Itachi's body arched into the gentle touches Kisame gave him, silently pleading for more.

Kisame turned and set the weasel down on the bed, moving on top of him. Itachi's heart sped up as he felt the fabric of his shirt being lifted up over his head. Kisame's lips were against his own, the shark's hands traveling up and down his slim frame, memorizing each minute detail of the weasel's body.

And then, panic set in.

Itachi's heart sped up. He was freaking out for no good reason. "Calm down," he silently ordered, breathing growing ragged. His body refused to listen. He shut his eyes, trying to regain control. "Kisame…" he whispered, too softly for the shark to hear.

Kisame hadn't noticed his lover's panic and was busy nipping at the weasel's neck. He suddenly bit down, drawing blood. "Kisame!" The shark made the mistake of looking at his lover then.

It was completely involuntary. Nothing more than a reflex brought on by panic and pain. When Kisame looked up, he locked gazes with Itachi's Sharingan.

By the time the weasel had calmed down, Kisame was limp on the bed, eyes shut. Itachi stared at his partner for a few seconds, panic rising in his chest again with alarming speed. He jumped off the bed and grabbed his shirt, running out of the room.

~~~~~~~~~days later~~~~~~~~~~~

"You know, this isn't my specialty," Kakuzu stated, eyes on the unconscious shark. Itachi had gotten the banker to look at Kisame, who was now lying in the medical ward of the Akatsuki base. He'd been out for the last few days, but at least he wasn't dead. Itachi had barely left his side, and hadn't slept at all. Kakuzu had been out on a mission, and had only just now returned to the base.

"Mind explaining how this happened?" the miser asked, beginning the healing process on the shark.

"Kisame stressed me out, and I just used my Sharingan on him." It was a true enough statement.

"I see…" the two lapsed into silence for a few minutes, until the banker stepped away from the bed. "There. That's the best I can do. Just wait for him to wake up, and he should be fine." Itachi nodded and the miser left the room.

Itachi sat in a chair across the room from the bed, silently waiting, wondering what he was supposed to say to his partner. 'Sorry I made you hard and then attempted to shatter your sanity'? Yeah, that would work really well. A groan came from the bed, snapping Itachi back to reality. He remained seated in the chair, deciding that moving to his partner may not be the best thing he could do right now.

"Mmmm….where am I?"

"The hospital ward," Itachi answered quietly, flinching when he saw Kisame start. "What happened?" Kisame asked, not wanting to hear the answer.

"I used my Sharingan on you," the Uchiha murmured, rising to his feet and walking to the door. "…I'm sorry." He stepped out of the room and was gone before Kisame could say anything.

~~~~~~~~~~~~later that night~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Itachi didn't look up as the door to the bedroom opened and shut. He heard footsteps coming towards him, followed by the feel of the bed sagging as Kisame sat down behind him. "What exactly happened?"

"I already told you."

"You know what I mean." The Uchiha felt his partner move closer, until only a few feet separated them. "Well?"

"I panicked." Itachi felt a hand come to rest on his back, directly above his heart. "Why?"

"…" Itachi couldn't find the right words, mainly because he wasn't sure what had happened. The shark's hand began to move, rubbing soothing circles into his back. "I'm waiting."

"I think I freaked out because…I didn't have control."

"Makes sense," Kisame muttered. Itachi's eyes widened as he felt the shark's arm slide around his front and pull the weasel to him. Itachi looked over his shoulder to meet his lover's gaze. "And is that why you won't look at me? Because you lost control twice?"

Itachi's mind shut down as the words hit him. He'd lost control in their bed, and then lost control over his eyes. The Uchiha hadn't felt this pathetic since he was a small child who couldn't even hold a knife properly. The realization made him sick, and it took all of his self-control not to throw up. Or at least hold it down as he jumped off the bed and ran into the bathroom.

Kisame rose to his feet and slowly walked into the bathroom, listening to the retching noises his partner was making. The shark calmly walked into the bathroom and pulled a washcloth out of the medicine cabinet, turning on the sink and soaking it with cold water. He waited for Itachi to stop before kneeling down and pressing the cloth to his partner's forehead. Itachi shut his eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry."

"You already said that. It's ok," Kisame said, letting Itachi take the cloth and wipe off his face. The weasel stood and set the fabric in the sink, before exiting the bathroom. Kisame followed close behind, wondering what to do now. His answer came in the form of Itachi turning and hugging him, burying his face in the shark's chest. "I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that you're the one who doesn't feel ok now," Kisame said quietly, moving to sit on the bed with the Uchiha in his lap.

"Hn." Itachi's face remained buried in Kisame's neck.

"It's alright angel. I'm fine." Kisame's fingers reached up and began stroking the weasel's raven locks. "Now stop moping. Ok?"

"Hn."

"Good. Now kindly take a bath." Itachi bit his partner's neck before rising to his feet and walking into the bathroom. "Sorry, Itachi, but you really do stink." The shark was only mildly surprised when a shoe came flying out of the bathroom, hitting him in the head.


	12. part 11

Itachi stiffened as he felt a familiar pair of arms slip around his waist. "No."

"Please Itachi?"

"No."

He heard Kisame sigh and felt the shark pull away. "You're no fun," Kisame muttered, walking away from his boyfriend. He exited the room moments later, probably going out to get some food, and leaving the weasel alone to his thoughts.

Itachi sighed and flopped down on the bed. This was his fault. Completely and totally.

After the Sharingan incident, it had taken forever to get Kisame to come after him again. And now that he finally had the shark back, he couldn't just lay back and let them fuck (no pun intended).

It wasn't that he'd didn't want to sleep with Kisame; in truth, he wanted that more than anything else. It was his damnable Uchiha pride. It just wouldn't concede and let him be Kisame's uke.

He knew it was ridiculous to try and top the shark, especially since he'd been the dominant one in their relationship thus far. But letting himself be topped…well, that was an obstacle yet to be conquered.

Itachi stared at the ceiling, pondering. He had to make sure he didn't get a chance to bolt at the last minute. The easiest way to do that was to force Kisame into overdrive and not allow the weasel a chance to fight back. Itachi chuckled to himself. Great, now he was gay and a masochist.

The Uchiha sat up and undid his hair tie. First things first; turn the shark on. He stripped off his shirt and shoes, leaving only his black capris on. Anything more would probably freak Kisame out, and less may not do the job. He inwardly smiled as he heard the door to their room open again. Right on cue.

"Itachi, I brought you…some…" Kisame voice trailed off as he eyed his half-naked partner. Itachi keep his face stoic as he looked at his partner. "Hn?"

"Oh, I brought you some dango," Kisame said, holding out the food for his partner to take. The weasel stood and walked over to his partner, taking the sweet food and sitting down on the bed. Kisame watched him for a moment more, clearly enticed, before sitting down on the mattress as well, albeit as far away from Itachi as he could get.

The Uchiha frowned to himself; apparently the earlier rejection was still fresh in the shark's mind. He'd have to fix that.

Itachi brought the dango close to his mouth, tongue flicking out and gently licking the soya balls. Minutes passed, and soon he felt Kisame's gaze locked on him. He continued his teasing, almost smiling when he felt the bed sag as the shark scooted closer to him. It was working.

Itachi's sinful tongue began to get more suggestive, wrapping around the soya balls as he brought the treat into his mouth, sucking on it with half-closed eyes. He heard Kisame growled and removed the dango, feigning innocence as he turned to the shark. "What?"

"Quit doing that," Kisame growled.

"But I'm hungry," the Uchiha answered, returning to torturing the shark with enthusiasm.

Itachi had to give Kisame credit. He was able to restrain himself for a full five seconds before he pounced on the weasel.

The weasel quickly discarded the dango in favor of the shark's tongue, moaning softly as his partner attacked his mouth with hungry moves.

Itachi slowly rose, swinging his leg over his partner's lap to straddle him, arms wrapping around his partner's neck. Kisame held the weasel in place with one arm around his waist, the other reaching up to grab Itachi's ponytail. Itachi gave a small cry when Kisame pulled his hair, forcing the Uchiha's head back as the shark ravaged his neck. "Kisame…"

The shark leaned back, making them fall onto the mattress. He promptly flipped over and kissed Itachi again, loving the control he'd been given. Kisame smiled as fingers traveled up his chest, undoing the buttons that held his cloak in place before removing the clothing entirely. "Eager, angel?" he purred, sharp teeth leaving bite marks on the Uchiha's pale skin. Itachi answered by grabbing the hem of Kisame's shirt, tugging the clothing off of his partner.

Kisame's hands traveled down to the weasel's inner thigh, ghosting over the sensitive flesh. He squeezed Itachi's groin, earning a cry from his partner. He definitely had the Uchiha hard.

Itachi suddenly sat up, hands over his eyes. "Stop," he whispered, breathing heavily. Kisame stared at his partner, worry on his face. "Your eyes again?" Itachi nodded. "Hold on…"

The weasel crawled to the edge of the bed and reached for an object on the bedside table. His headband. "Itachi?"

The weasel ignored the question and tied the headband over his eyes, creating a makeshift blindfold. "There."

Itachi sat back down on the bed, feeling around until he found his partner. "This way, you can't get hurt," he explained, a small smile playing on his lips. Kisame pushed the Uchiha down onto the bed, lips working against Itachi's as he removed the weasel's pants. He quickly slid out of his own and pressed three fingers against the weasel's mouth. "Itachi, suck."

The weasel obeyed his partner, tongue wrapping around each calloused finger and sucking lightly on the digits. He felt Kisame pull the fingers out of his mouth, followed by a sharp pain as two fingers entered his body. Itachi let out a strangled scream, glaring at his partner through the metal of his headband.

"Relax, Itachi," Kisame murmured, bending down to give the smaller man a gentle kiss. The shark inserted another finger, marveling at how tight the Uchiha was. Itachi began squirming, breathing becoming more labored. Kisame slid his fingers out and thrust back in, watching the Uchiha for any signs that he needed to stop. He repeated his actions a few more times, eventually making the weasel scream and arch off the bed. "Kisame…"

The shark pulled his fingers out, grinning as he heard the Uchiha whine. "Give me a sec, angel," he said, spreading the Uchiha's pale legs apart. He gripped the weasel's hips, leaning in to give Itachi a quick kiss before thrusting in. Itachi screamed, arms reaching up to wrap around the shark, fingers digging into the blue flesh. "Dammit…"

"Shh, you need to relax," Kisame growled, sliding partway out and thrusting back in. His pace increased, body slamming into the Uchiha.

Itachi was moaning beneath his partner, the sensation better than anything he'd ever felt. His fingers dug into the shark's back, leaving scratches as payback for the bites on his own body.

Kisame stopped his thrusts for a moment, sitting up and placing the weasel in his lap. Itachi began to move, bouncing up and down in the shark's lap as Kisame thrust up, trying to get as deep as he could. Itachi's moves became more desperate, sweat coating his body. "Kisa..I can't…"

"A little longer, angel."

Itachi lost it as Kisame hit his sweet spot once more, exploding on their stomachs as the shark climaxed inside him.

The two of them collapsed onto the bed, Itachi pinned under his lover. His fingers reached up and slowly undid the headband, tossing it onto the table once more. "You ok?" Kisame asked.

"Hn."

"I'll take that as a yes," the shark said, kissing his love on the lips. He chuckled as he saw the exhaustion in the weasel's eyes. "You look tired, angel." He carefully picked up the weasel and slid their bodies under the covers, holding Itachi close to him. "Go to sleep." He frowned as he heard Itachi mutter something inaudible into his chest. "Hmm?"

"Love you," the Uchiha whispered before falling asleep.

Kisame smiled and kissed his partner. "Same here, angel."


	13. epilogue

Kisame heard the bathroom door open and turned in time to see his partner walk out of the room. He made no move to hide the fact that his eyes were drinking in the sight of near-naked Uchiha, and for once the weasel didn't seem to mind. He merely walked across the room and began to dress, after telling Kisame he could use the shower now. The shark took this as a 'get-out-so-I-can-dress-in-peace' and entered the bathroom, stripping down before climbing into the tub.

As Kisame let the hot water wash over his sore limbs, he continued to think about Itachi. He wasn't sure what his feelings really were for the weasel. It wasn't just a partnership, or love, or something as simple as that. He relied on the Uchiha in a fight, expected him to react negatively when called a female, trusted him to remain calm and collected at all times, needed him to-

That was it. Put simply, Kisame needed Itachi, as much a plant needed sunlight or a person needed oxygen.

With this thought in mind, Kisame exited the bathroom. Itachi was already curled up under the covers of their bed, eyes locking on his partner. Now it was the shark's turn to be watched as he walked over to his things, taking his time dressing to give the Uchiha a good view of his body. He resisted the urge to smile as he shut off the lights to their room, plunging it into semi-darkness, the only light coming from the full moons rays slipping in through the curtains He silently walked across the hotel carpet and crawled into the single bed beside his partner. "Night, Itachi."

Itachi shifted around and moved closer to his partner, crawling on top of his chest. "Angel?" Itachi kissed the shark on the lips before sliding off him, back onto the bed. He curled up against Kisame's side, smiling when the shark's arm wrapped around him in a protective manner. "Kisame?"

"Hmm?"

"Don't leave me."

"Why would I do that?"

"Just don't," Itachi ordered, staring up at his partner with a strange look in his eyes. Kisame chuckled and began stroking his partner's damp hair. "I won't. I need you too much."

"…Thank you." Kisame felt his partner sit up, followed by soft lips pressing against his cheek. As his partner lay back down, Kisame caught the look in the Uchiha's eyes, and smiled to himself.

It's nice to know that you can actually need someone to be with you, to fight with you, protect you, even love you. It's even better when you know that that person needs you too.


End file.
